After putting forth a dominant performance at their home meet last Saturday, the LSU men’s and women’s cross country teams will travel to Lake Charles to compete in the McNeese Cowboy Stampede at the Enos Darbonne Recreation Complex this Saturday.
The Lady Tigers will begin at 8:45 a.m., followed by the Tigers at 9:15 a.m.
Senior Philip Primeaux and junior Morgan Schuetz placed first in their events at the LSU Invitational last week, crossing the finish line in 15 minutes, 16.92 seconds and 18 minutes, 15.14 seconds, respectively.
With 11 other runners from the men’s and women’s squads finishing in the top 10 in last week’s meet, Primeaux and Schuetz said the teams have gained confidence for this weekend and the remainder of the season. They added the teams will be more successful if both the men’s and women’s sides stay together as a unit.
“[With our performance at the home meet], it helps us to push forward in the big meets,” Schuetz said. “We know [what] we can do in the small meets, so when it comes time for the big meets, we should be able to [be successful].”
Coming into this weekend’s event, the cross country teams finished in the top 5 in three consecutive events. Primeaux and Schuetz said coach Khadevis Robinson’s strong summer workout program and motivational coaching has contributed to the early season success.
In the last two seasons, the LSU cross country teams garnered top-three finishes in both appearances at the McNeese Cowboy Stampede. Schuetz said the fast-paced course in Lake Charles gets the teams’ confidence up progressing through the season.
Primeaux said running against familiar high school foes from Louisiana always adds another competitive component to the meet.
“[Competing against] kids that graduated from Louisiana high schools always adds a little bit more of a pride issue to see where you’ve come after a couple years in the collegiate level,” Primeaux said. “That’s a big theme that helps us step up for [the McNeese Cowboy Stampede].”